Belt-fastener.



J. H. UONSTANTINB & B. V. TUCKER.

BELT FASTENER. I

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 17. 1910.

977,168. Patented N0v.29, 1910.

. Inventors I fiZMM. MW

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFTCE.

JOHN H. GONSTANTINE AND BONNIE V. TUCKER, OF RUIVIFORD, MAINE.

BELT-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 29, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, J OHN H. CONSTAN- TINE and BONNIE V. TUCKER, of Rumford, in the county of Oxford and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Belt-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a simple, strong and durable fastener for the meeting ends of driving belts, the construction of the fastener being such that an adjustment of the length of the belt may be effected without destroying any considerable portion of the fastener and without injury to the belt.

The invention consists in the improvements which we will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a side view showing the parts of our improved fastener disconnected from each other. Fig. 2 represents a perspective view of a portion of the main part of the fastener. Figs. 3 and 4 represent perspective views showing portions of the other parts of the fastener. Fig. 5 represents a side view showing portions of the meeting ends of a belt and portions of our improved fastener applied to and connecting the same. Fig. 6 represents a perspective view of the construction shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 repre sents a section on line 7-7 of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 represents a section on line 88 of Fig. 7.

Similar reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, 12 represents a plate which forms the body portion of our im proved belt fastener and is provided near its opposite edges with two series of slots 13.

14, 14 represents strips formed to bear on the outer side of the plate 12 and each provided with a series of prongs 15 adapted to pass through the slots 13 and through the end portions of a belt 16. The plates 14 and their prongs are preferably cast from malleable iron or other malleable metal, the prongs being oblong in cross section and relatively thin so that they are adapted to pass readily through the belt, their malleability enabling them to be clenched upon the inner surface of the belt as indicated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. The plate 12 preferably has a thickened portion 17, on its outer side, the edges of said thickened portion forming shoulders or abutments against which the inner edges of the prong-carrying strips 14 abut, so that when the fastener is in use the outer sides of the strips 14 are flush with the outer side of the fastener which therefore presents a smooth surface free from ridges or projections between its edges.

The formation of the plate 12 with the thickened portion 17, as described results, of course, in presenting recesses along the edges of the plate, the bases of the recessed portions being relatively thin. The strips 14, 14, as shown in the drawings, are of a thickness substantially equal to the depth of the recesses along the edges of the plate 12, so that the entire fastener will, when con1- plete, have a practically uniform thickness over the entire area thereof. The fitting of the strips 14, 14, in the recesses of the plate 12 aid in holding them in exact positions when the parts are assembled.

The slots 13 and prongs 15 are preferably obliquely arranged as clearly shown in Fi 1, the arrangement being such that the sides of the portions of the prongs which pass through the belt stand obliquely to the length of the belt, as indicated in Fig. 8, where the dotted lines w, 00 indicate the general directions in which the sides of the prongs extend, the.dotted lines 3 y indicating the direction of the length of the belt. Preferably some of the prongs of each series have an opposite obliquity from the other prongs of the series as shown in the drawings so that the sides of some of the prongs extend obliquely at a given angle and the sides of the other prongs extend obliquely at an opposite angle. The slots 13 are arranged to correspond with the arrangement of the prongs, the form of the slots being such that the bases of the prongs have a close fit in the slots, and are laterally supported by the walls of the slots. This oblique arrangement of the prongs and slots is adopted because the prongs thus arranged are free from liability not only of being bent outwardly by the strain exerted on them by the belt, but are also free from liability of cutting the belt when longitudinal strain is exerted on the same, tending to press the material of the belt against the sharp edges of the prongs. In case the prongs were arranged with their sides ex tending substantially parallel with the length of the belt, their sharp edges would be liable to cut the belt, and in case the prongs were arranged with their sides at right angles to the length of the belt, the strain on the belt would be liable to bend the prongs outwardly.

The plate 12 is preferably provided on its inner side with short spurs 19 adapted to indent Without passing entirely through the belt, the inner sides of the spurs being flat and substantially at right angles with the inner side of the plate while their outer sides are inclined. The spurs thus formed materially aid the prongs in confining the ends of the belt in the desired relation to each other.

The fastener is applied to a belt by placing the ends of the latter on the inner side of the plate 12, passing the prongs 15 through the slots of the plate and through the ends of the belt and clenching the inner ends of the prongs upon the inner side of the belt. When it is necessary to either shorten or lengthen the belt,'the fastener may be removed from one of the ends of the belt by cutting off the clenched ends of the prongs engaged therewith, by means of a chisel or other suitable tool, and removing and discarding the strip 14 carrying said prongs, the plate 12 and the other strip 1% remaining intact and the fastener being again adapted for use by substituting a new strip 1st for the one discarded. This operation can be readily efiected without injury to the belt.

The plate 12 may be of rigid material such as cast metal, or of flexible material such as leather, flexibility being sometimes desirable when the fastener is applied to a belt running on relatively small pulleys.

lVe claim:

A belt fastener comprising av plate having its opposite edges recessed, whereby the said edges are reduced in thickness, said reduced portions having slots, and two prong-carrying strips adapted to fit the recessed portions of the plate and provided with prongs arranged to pass through the slots and the end portions of a belt bearing on the inner side of the plate, each prong being oblong in cross section, and adapted to be clenched on the inner side of the belt, the slots being obliquely arranged, and some of the slots of each series having an opposite obliquity from the others, and the prongs having a corresponding arrangement, whereby the sides of the portions of the prongs of each series which pass through the belt, are caused to stand at different angles, the sides of each of said portions being oblique to the length of the belt.

In testimony whereof we have afiixed our signatures, in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN H. CONSTANTINE. BONNIE V. TUCKER. \Vitnesses JAMES A. MOMENNAMIN, J. MELVIN BARTLETT. 

